Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have delved into the matter that existed in the first fraction of a second of the Big Bang. This discovery provides another piece to the puzzle of the universe’s evolution as we know it today.
Simulating the Big Bang Explosion. Photo: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / CI Lab.
The study, conducted by Associate Professor You Zhou and Dr. Zuzana Moravcova at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, was recently published in the journal Physics Letters B.
Around 14 billion years ago, the universe transitioned from a hot and dense state to a completely expanding one, a process known as the Big Bang. We understand that this rapid expansion gave rise to particles, atoms, stars, galaxies, and life on Earth. Yet, scientists are still seeking answers to the details of how all of this transpired.
Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have undertaken a new study, unveiling profound insights into how everything began.
You Zhou, an associate professor at the Niels Bohr Institute, explains that scientists studied a substance present in the first microseconds of the Big Bang known as Quark-Gluon Plasma. The results of the study reveal a fascinating story of how plasma developed in the early stages of the universe.
Initially, the plasma consisted of quarks and gluons, which were separated by the universe’s expansion. Quark particles transformed into hadron particles, and when three quarks combined, they formed a proton, a component of atomic nuclei. These particles make up the Earth, humans, and the universe around us.
Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) existed in the first 0.000001 seconds of the Big Bang and then disappeared due to the expansion process. However, using CERN’s large particle accelerator, researchers were able to recreate this first-of-its-kind substance in history and trace what happened to it.
In addition to using the large particle accelerator, researchers also developed an algorithm that could analyze the collective expansion of many particles created simultaneously. Their findings show that QGP was once a flowing, continuously changing substance over time.
For a long time, researchers believed that the plasma had a gaseous form. Still, when analyzing the fine structure of QGP, the results showed that plasma changed its state over time. This was a surprising discovery as it was entirely different from any known form of matter.
While it may seem like a very minor discovery, it takes us a step closer to unraveling the mysteries of the Big Bang and how the universe formed in its first fraction of a second.
Associate Professor You Zhou concludes that every discovery is a piece that helps us uncover the truth about the Big Bang. Scientists spent about 20 years to realize that QGP was in a liquid form before transforming into hadron particles and other components of life. Therefore, knowledge about the continuous changes in plasma represents a significant breakthrough for researchers.